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Greeks take over legendary hand-cream Indulona

Slovakia has lost its unique hand-cream, often called the miraculous cream, Indulona. Its owner, the pharmaceutical company Saneca Pharmaceuticals has sold it along with its affiliation Saneca Trade for €8.5 million to the Sarantis Group. The latter owns approximately 80 brands in various countries of the world including the well-known Czech cosmetic brand Astrid, the Hospodárske Noviny reported. Production will remain in Hlohovec, Slovakia.

“It is the most popular product and the number one seller in the category of hand creams in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” Sarantis wrote on its website, as cited by Hospodárske Noviny.

The aim of the deal is to strengthen the position of Sarantis on the Slovak and Czech market as well as Indulona itself. Sarantis claims that the know-how of the brand may also be used in other markets in countries where the Greeks are active.

Indulona hand cream marks 70 years this year

The story of the original Indulona goes back to the 1940s, when dermatologists were looking for the best hand-cream recipe for the blue collar workers in harsh working environments. This focus gave it the name since it was derived from the word ‘industrialisation’.

The legendary blue version of the cream was developed in 1958. It is based on vaseline and water, contains no preservatives and is thus suitable for sensitive skin. It is produced, as other small cosmetic products, under strict hygienic conditions comparable with the production of pharmaceuticals.

Serial production was launched in 1964 at the Slovakofarma pharmaceutical company in Hlohovec. Indulona has been produced here ever since and the blue version formula has not been changed.

During the previous regime, when the range of available products was much narrower than now, people used Indulona for quite unusual purposes. They greased boots with it and football players applied it to their leather balls. Others used it for frying or greasing hinges or when sunbathing. Nowadays vets recommend it for oiling the paws of dogs during winter when the streets are heavily treated with salt or other anti-slip agents.